A 12-year-old Nutley boy was hit by a car on River Road on July 10, and the driver of the car, who fled the scene, made sure the boy wasn’t able to get his license plate number, police said.
The boy told police a car that was stopped waved him and some friends on to cross the street, and as they were doing so proceeded, the vehicle struck the wheel of his bicycle causing him to fall. When the boys took out their cell phones to photograph the vehicle’s license plate, the boy said the driver exited and stood in front of the car’s plate, shielding the registration which appeared to be from New York.
The boy was not injured and his mother was called to the scene the pick him up.
Police said the suspect fled prior to police arriving.
The boy told police there were three white men and a woman inside a grey Mercedes Benz that struck him.
Meanwhile, the Nutley Police Department released the following reports of incidents that took place between July 9 and July 15:
July 9
• Koela Paolella, 20, of Nutley, turned herself into police on an outstanding warrant. She was temporarily detained while she posted required bail. She was later released, pending a new court date.
• Dax Rolland, 25, of Newark, was arrested on Rt. 21 on an outstanding Newark warrant. Police had pulled Rolland over for making an unsafe lane change when they learned he had a warrant. Rolland was released on his own recognizance, pending a new Newark court date.
July 10
• Police responded to a Lovel Court home on an anonymous report of an illegal weapons sale. Police said a caller told them the Lovel Court resident was selling an AR-15 firearm on Facebook. After investigating, police determined the sale was legal.
• Kenshon Robinson, 20, of North Haledon, was arrested on an outstanding North Bergen warrant. Police said they learned Robinson was wanted when they pulled him over on Kingsland Ave. on a motor-vehicle infraction. Robinson posted bail for the warrant and was released.
July 11
• Police said they found a 90-year-old woman wandering the streets but were unable to communicate with her because of a language barrier. The officers used a language line and determined the woman was in some type of distress. She was transported to Mountainside Hospital for evaluation. After it was later determined she was from Bloomfield, the Bloomfield PD assumed the investigation and notified family members.
• Christian Rosa, 26, of Bloomfield, was arrested on Centre St. on an outstanding Newark warrant and for driving while suspended. Nutley police ticketed Rosa for driving while suspended and he was released on his own recognizance on the warrant, pending a new court date.
July 13
Detectives observed a man acting suspiciously on Harrison St., and determined that he was wanted by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, as well as having outstanding warrants out of Belleville. Detectives detained Rocco Castellano, 29, of Nutley, in a holding cell before he was transferred into the custody of the sheriff’s office.
July 14
• An officer observed a man on Franklin Ave. in a wheelchair sprawled out and lifeless. When an officer approached the man, he appeared confused and could not speak coherently. The officer made contact with the doctor where the man had just left and was told he was waiting for transport back to a nursing home and hadn’t eaten since earlier that day. The man complained of a headache and low blood sugar. The Nutley Volunteer Rescue Squad responded and evaluated the man, but he refused treatment and signed a waiver noting he declined medical treatment.
• Police were called to a parking lot at Centre St. and Ravine Ave. where a 1-year-old child inadvertently pressed the lock button while a parent was outside vehicle. Police tried several times to unlock the doors, with specialized tools, but were unsuccessful. The officer observed the child becoming stressed from the heat and broke a window to remove the child. The rescue squad arrived on scene to evaluate the child, who was not harmed.
• Police were called to the area of Washington and Park Aves. on a man acting suspiciously. When police arrived, they stopped and questioned Patrick Principe, 41, of Little Falls. Principe told police he was picking up loose cigarettes off the ground to smoke. Police later determined Principe had an outstanding Fairfield warrant. He was arrested and transferred into the custody of the Fairfield PD.
July 15
After catching up to a speeding motorist on Rt. 21, police initiated a traffic stop and found the driver was late to an appointment.
The driver, Konate Attila, 20, of East Orange, was found to have an outstanding warrant out of Irvington. He was arrested and transported back to NPD HQ, where he posted the required bail and was released on his own recognizance, pending a new court appearance.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.